Modern computer systems are frequently implemented as distributed collections of computer systems operating collectively within one or more host computer system environments. Such computer systems typically utilize and produce large amounts of data, which are archived or otherwise backed up so that various states of the computer system resources can be restored in the event of unforeseen losses. Long-term storage services may be used for data that is infrequently accessed and stored in redundant, or durable, storage for relatively long periods of time. Conversely, short-term storage services may be used for data that is frequently accessed or that requires less durability. Backup data may be infrequently accessed because the need to access it typically arises in an emergency. Conversely, backup data may be frequently or infrequently updated, either daily, weekly, monthly, or according to some other schedule. Backup data may also require high durability because, as mentioned previously, the need to access such backup data typically arises in an emergency.
Problems with storage utilization or storage efficiency may arise with short-term storage of backup data such as, for example, for storing daily or weekly backups. Such problems may arise when the backup data it is stored using a long-term storage service as backup data is typically stored in archival or long-term storage. For instance it is often difficult to fully utilize the storage resources in a cost-effective manner. Additionally, the relatively short lifetime of the data, compared to the relatively long time to prepare and store it may make such storage very inefficient. Additional problems may arise due to the resource costs of accessing data distributed across multiple archive locations. Such storage inefficiencies of short-term backup data may lead to increased costs of the distributed computer systems and poor resource utilization.